Lunch · Side

Italian Pasta Salad

Rotini with vegetables, mozzarella and Italian dressing. Better after a night in the fridge.

⏱ 25 min (15 min prep, 10 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 8 · about 1 cup make aheadlunchboxbudgetquickleftovers vegetarian
📅 Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 8 servings

  • Salad

  • 1 lb Rotini
  • 1 tbsp Table salt, for the pasta water (most is poured off, so it is left out of nutrition)
  • 1 cup Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Cucumber, diced
  • 1 Red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ cup Sliced black olives
  • 8 oz Fresh mozzarella, cubed
  • ¾ cup Italian dressing
  • 3 oz Pepperoni, quartered (optional)
  • ¼ cup Grated Parmesan (optional)

Make it yourself

Make the italian-style vinaigrette yourself →

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: large pot, colander, large bowl.

  1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.
  2. Toss with the vegetables, olives, mozzarella and dressing. Add pepperoni and Parmesan if you like.
  3. Chill at least 1 hour. Stir in a splash more dressing before serving if it looks dry.
Make aheadKeeps 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
↺ LeftoversPack with an ice pack for lunches.
🧒 With kidsLeave the olives on the side for kids who are unsure.
Dairy-free swapSkip the cheeses and add a can of drained chickpeas.
Gluten-free swapUse gluten-free pasta.

Good to know

Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.

@teddyrookbook GitHub